During the week of Thanksgiving of 2004, I was able to take some photos of the Ford GT40 shown below.
This car was for sale at Jordan Ford near my Dad's home in San Antonio, Texas. The French
flag hanging above the car was stolen from the racetrack at Le Mans, France by my Dad in 1966. He
and several Air Force buddies were there in June of 1966 to witness three Ford GT40 race cars take
1st, 2nd and 3rd at the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans race. My Dad and his friends each stole a
French flag from the track as a souvenir of Ford's stunning victory.
When the "new" Ford GT40 was introduced in 2004, my Dad told the manager of his local Ford dealership
about his souvenir flag. The manager asked to borrow the flag and then proudly displayed it hanging
above the new GT40. The last photo in the group below shows myself and some of family standing by
the car (from left to right: my uncle Mike, my Dad, my cousin Shawn, and me).
Interestingly, the same month that I took these photos, I also finished
having a DVD made which compiled several reels of home movies that my Dad had filmed of auto races in the 1960's
in Europe. Some of the footage is of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 -- the race during which Ford GT40's
won 1st, 2nd and 3rd and after which my Dad stole this French flag. The car is the photos below had a
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of just over $157,000. But not long after these photos were
taken, the GT40 seen here was sold to a very lucky customer for a staggering $275,000.
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